The Hero, Nerd, and Sakura
by ohtheregoesmygrades
Summary: Sakura Haruno was not society. Kisame always knew this. Itachi needed some time to figure it out. AU (No endgame couple, just some fluffy crushes) Originally published on my Tumblr blog.
1. Hero

**Author's Note:** Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters or world of Naruto they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be is for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

At age sixteen, Sakura Haruno had long since figured out what society's standards for the attractive male hero character were. Sasuke-kun was the perfect example. He was tall, dark, and handsome. He had perfect grades, a lean physique, and a set of white, _straight_ teeth. Kisame Hoshigaki was not a good example. He may have been tall, but he was also _blue_ , failing literature class, and had crooked, _sharp_ teeth.

Society did not think Kisame Hoshigaki was an attractive hero.

Sakura Haruno was not society.

...

As a child, Sakura had been silently shy, awfully awkward, and incredibly intelligent. All the above were characteristics that the playground bullies had loved to use against her. Still with time and good friends, she'd grown past childhood insecurities and had become a strong young woman bullies did not dare provoke.

It also helped that her friends included the Presidents of the Judo, Archery, and Karate clubs, but hey, who's counting?

When Ebisu-sensei had asked Sakura to tutor a senior she had been surprised. When she found out it was one of the new transfers from Kirigakure Prep, she was terrified. It was no surprise that the senior was failing a basic literature class. Kirigakure was a former military academy. The teachers were far more concerned with whether a student could analyze war history and strategy than if they could appreciate poetry.

Regardless, the foreign boarding school had burned down under suspicious circumstances, leaving all of its students displaced until repairs could be made. Headmistress Tsunade had agreed to let some of the students study at Konohagakure High so they could graduate on time. In return, Kirigakure's Headmistress Mei had promised that the transfer students would be on their best behavior. Sakura wasn't sure she trusted that promise.

Her first meeting with Kisame had been terrifying. The senior was a good two feet taller than her and built of solid muscle. She had stammered and squeaked through the entire tutoring session. Yet, as the days went by, Sakura grew to appreciate the reserved senior. He was polite and a good student. He had even proved to be quite intelligent; he just wasn't much of a reader.

When the tutoring sessions ended, she was disappointed.

When he still said hello around school, she was pleased.

When he caught another Kiri transfer threatening her behind the school, she was relieved.

When he picked the punk up with a ripple of a singular _muscular_ arm and threw him in a dumpster, she was in awe.

When he had asked if she was okay with a grin of sharp teeth, she was infatuated.

No society did not think much of Kisame Hoshigaki, but Sakura Haruno thought he was a hero.

And kind of cute.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

NOTE: Please do NOT make spin-offs, sequels, podfics, or similar works without my permission. Fan ART is the exception to this, feel free to make fan art of my work. I have no artistic talent so I'd love to see your's!

Thank you for Reading.


	2. Nerd

**Author's Note:** Here's chapter 2. One more and this trilogy will be done. I've planned to publish it mid-April. (This story was originally published on my Tumblr. These two chapters are already posted and the third one is in my queue there. When it publishes there, I'll publish here. My tumblr followers have been waiting over a year, they've earned first dibs).

Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters or world of Naruto they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be is for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

I am well aware of the fact that I am not quite what everyone expects of me. I come from a family of good breeding and high tastes. I was educated in the top schools in the country and my life was carefully planned by my family long before I was born. By my family's standards, I must exceed in those plans and surpass all of _society's standards_ so I can bring pride to the family name. _Society's standards_ require me to be tall, dark, and handsome. I need to have perfect grades, a lean physique, and a set of white, straight teeth.

…I've at least got the grades and the teeth; that's more than my brother and Kisame-sempai have.

Hopefully Haruno-san is not society.

* * *

Itachi Uchiha was not quite the prodigious son his family had hoped for. Yes, he was a genius. The boy's academic career had set several national records. He just wasn't very…motivated. At least not in any direction the family would have preferred.

They wanted the respected (cough _ **ruthless**_ cough) politician or the fierce (cough _ **aggressive**_ cough) police chief. Instead, they got Itachi. Itachi, who hated physical violence and injustice. Who relied on book smarts in a fight and abhorred the use of martial arts for anything other than a necessary exercise regime.

…The Clan wasn't exactly thrilled, but at least he was obedient.

Still, when the first born son passes out mid-karate chop and is found to have a rare lung disease ( _cough_ )….well, this is why they had a backup heir. Itachi would live but he'd never have the stamina needed to join the police force or campaign continually. So Sasuke would be the next police chief and Itachi would be left to his own devices as long as he didn't embarrass the family.

Fantastically for Itachi, being a lawyer is a very agreeable career. Sifting through legal texts doesn't tend to overexert the lungs and is very non-violent. Wonderfully for the Clan, being a lawyer is still a very distinguished position and a good way to showcase the family name.

 _Now I just need Haruno-san to see how well we'd match._

Sakura Haruno was perhaps the most frustrating case Itachi Uchiha had ever come across.

 _Lawyer + Doctor_ = _Power Couple = Happily Ever After_. _How has this not occurred to her yet?_

When he'd first met her, he had just been happy his little brother was making friends. Sasuke had always been a little…socially challenged.

When he saw her several years later as an undergrad at his college, he had been pleased to see that hard-working Haruno-san had gotten into the college of her dreams.

When he kept running into her on campus, he was delighted to chat with someone as studious as he was.

When she laughed at - _and actually understood_ \- his jokes, he was thrilled.

When she smiled…he realized that perhaps there was something missing from his life.

So he invited her to study with him…but they only studied.

So he invited her to coffee…but she didn't seem to get it.

So he invited her to dinner and she accepted…because it was "such a nice reminder of home to spend time with Sasuke's big brother"

…

 _Little brother has always been better with girls, but surely I'm not that bad. I know I'm not the most dashing man, but Haruno-san seems the type to appreciate the more academic man…_

So he risked it…he invited her to the annual Akatsuki beach party. He hoped the change in setting would help her recognize that a nerd, such as himself, was more than just a big brother figure.

It could only go two ways. She would realize he was more than just Sasuke's older brother or she would think he was a complete lunatic for keeping these people as friends. While he did truly value his friendship with these guys…surely he'd seem like a catch compared to a loose cannon like Hidan or a flirt like Deidara.

She seemed to be having fun…

 _But why won't she stop talking to Kisame-sempai?_

…

 _No! He's blue, for god sakes! Why is she blushing?_

Apparently, Sakura Haruno was, indeed, not society.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

NOTE: Please do NOT make spin-offs, sequels, podfics, or similar works without my permission. Fan ART is the exception to this, feel free to make fan art of my work. I have no artistic talent so I'd love to see your's!

Thank you for Reading.


	3. Sakura

**Author's** **Note:** This is the final chapter, thank you for your patience. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters or world of Naruto they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be is for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

At age twenty, Sakura Haruno did not meet society's standards any more than she had at age sixteen when Kisame had first met her. She was still flat-chested, short-tempered, and acted nothing like she looked.

Haruno-kun was not society.

Kisame was glad for that.

He had been fond of the little fan girl he had gained at Konohagakure High School. _Oh yes,_ he thought with a chuckle. He had caught her little blush every time she talked to him. The look of awe after he helped her out with the punk from his old boarding school would have given her away if nothing else did.

Kisame didn't mind though, she was a cute kiddo and she had never acted on her feelings. He could pretend to be oblivious if she'd allow him to avoid the awkward situation of rejecting her feelings.

Kiri Prep had been a rough place to go to school, especially for someone like Kisame who had been held back a year and gone undiagnosed with a reading disorder for a long-time. His school really hadn't cared much about school work. KHS had been a breath of fresh air and his little friendship with Haruno-kun had made the transition easy.

Little Sakura had been a hoot. Intelligent and unfailingly polite in front of the teachers and when tutoring him, she played the role of the perfect school girl. But Kisame had seen her in the halls with her friends, where she was less guarded and more prone to expressing a short-fuse. Gentle flowers aren't likely to become best buds with the majority of the athletic club presidents after all. The flower who does is one who's polite to the outside world while keeping her less socially accepted traits under wraps.

Oh no, Kisame knew better and he had wondered what she'd be like once she grew out of her shell more and had some time away from Konohagakure. Sure enough, it looked like she had turned out to be one rad chick.

She had blushed all over when they first talked, just like she used too in high school. Kisame had thought it cute, but ignored it in favor of finding out what the little flower was doing showing up at the Akatsuki Beach Party and figuring out how much she'd changed.

Sure enough, it didn't take long and he was able to literally watch her bloom and come alive as she rattled on about how she'd been.

 _This kid's really grown up since I saw her last_ , thought Kisame fondly. _She was never this comfortable and outspoken before. That hoodie and swimsuit aren't hiding some other changes either. Pinkie's a gym rat._

Kisame found himself feeling bad as they talked. He couldn't help it once she mentioned Itachi inviting her. The whole gang knew Itachi had been trying to win over some girl recently. He and a few others had had their suspicions about the situation, but now that Kisame knew who Itachi had been speaking too, he was sure.

His best friend was a genius, but denial was a tough enemy to beat. And Itachi was deep, deep in denial if he thought he had a chance with Haruno. Kisame had thought it sounded like the girl was trying to let him down easy before he knew who it was, but now? Itachi was a good man, but he obviously hadn't picked up yet on some of Haruno's changes.

 _Poor guy, can't see the boobs for the brain. Well,_ Kisame gave a quick discrete look, _maybe not boobs. She hasn't filled out there that much since high school, but a blind man could see those calves and she's not skipping on her squats and arm curls either._

Kisame allowed himself an appreciative look at her backside as she went to get a drink.

 _Nope, Haruno's not getting muscle like that by just studying all the time, she's not going to go for a man that does the bare amount of exercise he can._

With a smirk and a subtle flex of his own muscles, Kisame smugly thought of the reaction he could still bring out in her as further proof of Haruno's type. Feeling proud of himself, he shifted his attention to where Hidan was chatting her up by the drinks.

 _Oh yeah, Itachi's chances are screwed. That short-temper of her's is still alive and it doesn't look like she bothers to hide it anymore...Uh...maybe._

Kisame became a bit confused as he kept watching Hidan and Sakura...talk? Argue? Flirt?

Honestly, he wasn't sure what they were doing but he could see Itachi's distressed face from across the beach. Deciding quick, Kisame thought it might be a good idea to go have a talk with his best bud.

Itachi may have been a genius catch in society's eyes, but if there was anything that Kisame knew-

Sakura Haruno was not society.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

NOTE: Please do NOT make spin-offs, sequels, podfics, or similar works without my permission. Fan ART is the exception to this, feel free to make fan art of my work. I have no artistic talent so I'd love to see your's!

Thank you for reading. As I stated above, this is the final chapter for "The Hero, Nerd, and Sakura." This was my first real work and my precious little fanfic baby and I'm so glad to have it done. So again, thank you for your support and patience.


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